Non-refillable bottle



E.' C. BARTLBTT. NoN-REFILLABLB BoTTLE.

No. 587,295. Patented Aug. 3,1897,

562mm afeff.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

EDVARD `CHARLES BARTLETT, OF LORAIN, OHIO.

NoN-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 587,295, dated August 3, 1897'. Appunti@ ned rune 26,1896. seria No. 597,023. ci@ model.)

To all lli/0711, it may concern.'

Beit known that I, EDWARD CHARLES BART- LETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Non- Retllable Bottle, of which the following is a specification. l

The invention relates to improvements in antireiilling bottles.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bottle which, in order to obtain access to its contents, will have to be sufficiently mutilated to prevent it from being afterward refilled and sold in imitation of its original appearance.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of an antirefilling bottle constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same.'

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings. 4

l designates a bottle having its neck 2 provided with a frangible upper portion 3, adapted to bear a trade-mark, name, advertisement, or the like, and designed to be broken off from the bottle in order to obtain access to the contents of the same, whereby the bottle is mutilated in order to effectually prevent the same from being refilled and sold in imitation of its original appearance, and also to prevent the original contents of the bottle from being adulterated. The neck of the bottle is provided at the lower terminus of its frangible upper portion with an exteriorl groove 4, which reduces the thickness of the bottle at that point to provide a frangible ligament, and the neck is also provided on its interior at the same point with an annular groove 5, with which is interlocked a plate or shield 6, whichis located above a lower cork or stopper 7.

The opening of the lower portion of the neck of the bottle is of slightly less diameter than the opening of the upper portion. The lower portion of the neck receives the said cork or stopper 7 and the upper portion or mouth of the neck receives an upper cork or stopper 8. The shield or plate 6, which is preferably conical, concavo-convex, or otherwise dished, is expanded after it is placed within the neck of a bottleA by a suitable plunger to force its peripheral edge into the groove 5, and it is constructed of steel to prevent it lfrom being cut away or otherwise mutilated to obtain access to the lower cork, whereby the frangible upper portion of the neck of the bottle has to be broken olf in order to dislodge the plate or shield 6. After the plate or shield 6 has been removed by breaking off the frangible upper portion of the bottle the lower cork may be readily withdrawn.

The shield or plate 6 is made conical for a twofold purpose: l first, by reason thereof it cannot be readily drilled, for any attempt to drill the plate would cause it to revolve. Furthermore, making the plate in this shape gives it suflicient elasticity, so that when forced down in the neck of the bottle by means of a plunger the plate will spring outward and be caused to engage lthe groove 5.

The space between the upper and lower corks provides a sample compartment or chamber 9, and the upper cork 8 may be readily withdrawn to afford access to the samplechamber Without breaking off the frangible upper portion.

The'bottle is provided with a drinkin g-cup l0, conforming to the configuration of and arranged on the neck of the bottle, and it is retained thereon by an elastic ring l1, seated in an exterior groove 12 of the lower portion of the neck of the bottle and frictionally engaging the interior of the drinkin g-cup. The elastic ring 1l is located below the annular groove 5 and the frangible ligament formed by the same and the exterior groove 4, and the drinking-cup serves to cover and protect the frangible upper portion of the neck of the bottle. By locating the elastic ring below the frangible ligament there is no liability of the upper portion of the bottle being accidentally broken off in removing or replacing the drinkbottle-neck and prevents the neck from breaking at the line of separation. The cup being made of metal there is no danger of the neck being broken while the cup is in place. Secondly, when removed from. theneck it serves as a drinking-cup to test the liquid in the sampling-chamber 9. It will be observed in this connection that the convex plate 6 forms the bottom for said chamber, keeping the liquid therein from affecting the cork 7 below.

It will be seen that the bottle is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it provides a sample-chamber, and that it is absolutely impossible to obtain access to its contents without suiiieiently mutilatin g it to prevent it from being afterward refilled and sold in imitation of its original appearance.

It will also be apparent that while prevent-ing refilling it will also prevent any adulteration of its original contentswithout niutilating it to such an extent as to prevent a sale of it.

I amaware that it is not new to provide a pocket-flask with a cup formed to fit upon the upper part of the ilask. I am also aware that it has been proposed to seal a fruitjar by means of a cylindrical ring made of rubber or other elastic material interposed between the neck and the cover of the jar, the neck and the cover each having a corresponding groove for the reception of the ring; but I am not aware that a non-reiillable bottle has ever been devised in which the neck is provided exterior groove l2, upper and lower corks arranged within the neck of the bottle and forming an inter-mediate sample-chamber, `a shield located above the lower cork and interlocked with the groove 5, an elastic ring seated in the exterior groove 12 of the neck and located at a point below the frangible ligament, and an inverted cup covering and protecting the fran gible portion of the neck and frictionally engaging the elastic ring whereby it is retained in place, substantially as described.

2. In a non-reiillable bottle, a bottle-neck provided with a frangible ligament at an intermediate point, and a cork arranged within the neck of the bottle below the plane of the ligament, an upper cork closing the top opening to the neck, the space between the two corks forming an intermediate samplingchamber 9, an inverted cup fitting tightly over the upper portion of the neck of the hot tle and extending down and around the neck, covering the frangible portion thereof and contacting with the neck below said fran gible portion, the said cup being adapted to be readily removed Without the breaking of the neck and when in position serving as a protector for the latter, all substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD CHARLES BARTLETT.'

W'itnesses:

En. GILLMORE, Ton GILLMonE. 

